JP5435634B2 - Input device, electronic device, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device, an electronic device, and a program, and more particularly, to an input device, an electronic device, and a program suitable for input using a touch panel.

  In an electronic device having a display screen such as a mobile communication terminal (such as a mobile phone), it is common to perform input by touching the screen with a user by configuring a touch panel on the display device. By adopting a touch panel, a more intuitive input operation can be performed. In particular, this is an input method useful for mobile communication terminals in which keys and the like are small.

  Many of these electronic devices use a liquid crystal panel as a display device, but when a capacitive touch panel is configured on the liquid crystal panel, the AC reversal drive of the liquid crystal panel becomes a noise source, and the electrostatic capacitance due to finger contact This may affect the change, and as a result, the user's finger contact may not be detected correctly.

  The AC inversion driving of the liquid crystal panel, which is the cause of such a detection error, varies depending on the driving of the RGB cells. That is, the AC inversion driving that causes a detection error varies depending on the display screen at that time. Therefore, since it can be said that there is a causal relationship between the contents of the display screen and the occurrence of a detection error, it is considered that the occurrence of a detection error can be reduced by using this relationship.

  Touch panel detection errors are largely affected by such external factors, and so far, for example, a technique for reducing detection errors in consideration of environmental changes such as temperature (for example, Patent Document 1), a backlight, and the like. A technique (for example, Patent Document 2) that reduces detection errors by changing detection conditions by turning ON / OFF is proposed.

JP 6-12510 JP2007-72798

  However, there has been no technique for reducing touch panel detection errors due to the causal relationship with the display screen as described above.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said actual condition, and it aims at reducing the detection error of a touchscreen more effectively.

In order to achieve the above object, an input device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes:
In an input device using a touch panel,
A calculation means for calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
Reliability determination means for determining the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means;
Recording means for recording a calculation process record in which at least the calculation process by the calculation means is associated with the reliability determined by the reliability determination means;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means is low, an input means for performing an input operation using the calculation process record determined to be high among the calculation process records recorded by the recording means; ,
Display attribute information acquisition means for acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel,
The recording means records the calculation process record in association with the display attribute information acquired by the display attribute information acquisition means;
And wherein a call.

In order to achieve the above object, an input device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes:
In an input device using a touch panel,
A calculation means for calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
Reliability determination means for determining the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means;
Recording means for recording a calculation process record in which at least the calculation process by the calculation means is associated with the reliability determined by the reliability determination means;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means is low, an input means for performing an input operation using the calculation process record determined to be high among the calculation process records recorded by the recording means; ,
Display attribute information acquisition means for acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel,
The display attribute information indicates a screen design displayed on the display device,
The input means performs an input operation using the calculation process record for the same display attribute as the display attribute indicated by the display attribute information acquired by the display attribute information acquisition means.
It is characterized by that .

In order to achieve the above object, an input device according to a third aspect of the present invention includes :
In an input device using a touch panel,
A calculation means for calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
Reliability determination means for determining the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means;
Recording means for recording a calculation process record in which at least the calculation process by the calculation means is associated with the reliability determined by the reliability determination means;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means is low, an input means for performing an input operation using the calculation process record determined to be high among the calculation process records recorded by the recording means; ,
Display attribute information acquisition means for acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel;
Display frequency measuring means for measuring a display frequency in the display device,
The display attribute information acquisition unit acquires display attribute information indicating a display frequency measured by the display frequency measurement unit.
It is characterized by that .

In the above input device,
The input means performs an operation of inputting, as a current touch position, a calculation result determined to have high reliability among the calculation results recorded in the calculation process record having contents approximate to the calculation process related to the current touch detection. It is desirable to do.

In the input apparatus,
The recording means includes
When recording a plurality of times of operation process according to the touch consecutive to the touch panel, by comparing the contents of each round of the operation process, at least, a retry for determining whether a retry by touching the same position It may be further provided with a discrimination means, in this case,
It is desirable not to include the calculation process related to the touch determined to be not a retry in the calculation process record related to another touch determined to be a retry .
In this case,
The recording means is determined not to be a retry when a difference between a calculation process related to a touch determined not to be a retry and a calculation process related to another touch determined to be a retry is within a predetermined range. It is desirable to record the calculation process relating to the touch as a calculation process record different from the calculation process record.

In the above input device,
The recording means may record only the calculation process related to the calculation determined to have high reliability by the reliability determination means as the calculation process recording .

In the above input device,
The recording means may record only the calculation result of the calculation means as the calculation process record .

In the above input device,
It is desirable that the calculation means does not calculate the contact position when the detection intensity of the detection signal of the touch panel does not reach a predetermined threshold value .

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is:
It is an electronic device provided with the said input device, It is characterized by the above-mentioned .

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is:
In a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel,
A function of calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
A function to determine the reliability of the calculation result;
At least a function of recording a calculation process record in which the calculation process of the calculation is associated with the determined reliability;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result is low, among the recorded calculation process records, a function of performing an input operation using a calculation process record determined to have high reliability;
Realizing a display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device in which the touch panel is configured;
The function of recording the calculation process record records the calculation process record associated with the acquired display attribute information.
It is characterized by that .

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is:
In a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel,
A function of calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
A function to determine the reliability of the calculation result;
At least a function of recording a calculation process record in which the calculation process of the calculation is associated with the determined reliability;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result is low, among the recorded calculation process records, a function of performing an input operation using a calculation process record determined to have high reliability;
Realizing a display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device in which the touch panel is configured;
The display attribute information indicates a screen design displayed on the display device,
The function for performing the input operation is to perform the input operation using the calculation process record for the same display attribute as the display attribute indicated by the acquired display attribute information.
And wherein a call.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is:
In a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel,
A function of calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
A function to determine the reliability of the calculation result;
At least a function of recording a calculation process record in which the calculation process of the calculation is associated with the determined reliability;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result is low, among the recorded calculation process records, a function of performing an input operation using a calculation process record determined to have high reliability;
A function of acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel;
A function of measuring a display frequency in the display device,
The function of acquiring the display attribute information acquires display attribute information indicating the measured display frequency.
And wherein a call.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the detection error of a touch panel can be reduced more effectively.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile communication terminal concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure implement | achieved by the control part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the "touch input process" concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an “arithmetic process recording process” executed in the “touch input process” shown in FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an “arithmetic process record update process” executed in the “touch input process” shown in FIG. 3. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a “retry reduction process” executed in the “touch input process” shown in FIG. 3. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the screen pattern (design) employ | adopted as a display attribute in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement concerning a touch detection, (a) And (b) shows the mode of finger contact in a different screen pattern typically, (c) is a detection signal detected by a touch sensor. (D) and (e) show examples of detection intensities that differ depending on the screen pattern. It is a figure which shows the example of the calculation process record concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention, (a)-(d) is the calculation process record produced when the reliability of a calculation result is discriminate | determined to be "low". An example is shown, and (e) shows an example of a calculation process record created when the reliability of the calculation result is determined to be “high”.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a mobile communication terminal will be described.

  A configuration of the mobile communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile communication terminal 100. As illustrated, the mobile communication terminal 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication control unit 120, an output unit 130, an input unit 140, a touch panel unit 150, a storage unit 160, and the like.

  The control unit 110 includes, for example, an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) serving as a work area, various drivers, and the like. While controlling, each process mentioned later is performed based on the predetermined | prescribed operation | movement program stored in the memory | storage part 160. FIG. In addition, each structure of the mobile communication terminal 100 mentioned later is each connected with the control part 110, and data transmission / reception between each structure shall be performed via the control part 110. FIG.

  The communication control unit 120 includes, for example, a wireless communication circuit for cellular communication, and implements voice communication and data communication, which are basic functions of the mobile communication terminal 100, by performing wireless communication via the antenna 121. .

  The output unit 130 includes an audio output unit 131, a display unit 132, and the like, and performs various information output operations by the mobile communication terminal 100.

  The voice output unit 131 is configured by, for example, a speaker and outputs a ring tone or a received voice during a voice call.

  The display unit 132 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, for example, and displays various screens related to the function of the mobile communication terminal 100.

  The input unit 140 includes a voice input unit 141, an operation unit 142, and the like, and functions as an interface for user input to the mobile communication terminal 100.

  The voice input unit 141 is composed of, for example, a microphone and inputs a user uttered voice during a voice call.

  The operation unit 142 includes a keypad (character keys (ten keys), cross keys, etc.) and function buttons configured on the casing of the mobile communication terminal 100, and generates an input signal corresponding to a user operation. Input to the control unit 110.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to the operation unit 142, a touch panel unit 150 that is configured on the display unit 132 and detects a finger contact on the display screen of the display unit 132 to perform an input operation is also included as an input device.

  The touch panel unit 150 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a touch sensor formed of a transparent electrode film that forms electrodes in a matrix on the display screen of the display unit 132 using ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or the like. The detection signal corresponding to the finger contact with the touch sensor is generated. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the touch panel is a capacitive touch panel, and in this case, a touch sensor is configured in which the electrostatic capacity is changed by contact with a finger.

  The storage unit 160 includes a predetermined storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, for example. In addition to an operation program (application) executed by the control unit 110, data necessary for execution of each process, Stores data generated by execution of processing.

  The operation program stored in the storage unit 160 is an operation program for realizing each process to be described later in addition to an arbitrary basic program (that is, OS (Operating System)) that controls the basic operation of the mobile communication terminal 100. (Application programs, etc.) are stored. Processing performed by the mobile communication terminal 100 to be described later is realized by the control unit 110 executing these operation programs.

  Further, by executing the operation program stored in the storage unit 160, the control unit 110 functions as a configuration as shown in FIG. As illustrated, the control unit 110 functions as a touch panel drive unit 111, a touch position calculation unit 112, a retry reduction processing unit 113, an input processing unit 114, and the like.

  The touch panel drive unit 111 performs an operation necessary for detecting finger contact with the touch panel unit 150 by driving the touch panel unit 150. Here, the scanning operation of the touch sensor of the touch panel unit 150 is performed, and a signal indicating the capacitance is acquired from the touch panel unit 150.

  The touch position calculation unit 112 determines whether or not there is a finger contact with the touch panel unit 150 based on the capacitance signal acquired from the touch panel unit 150 by the touch panel driving unit 111, and determines that there is a finger contact. If so, an operation for specifying the position (the position on the coordinates of the display unit 132) is performed. Here, by comparing the detection signal intensity of a plurality of electrodes indicating a change in capacitance with a threshold value to determine the presence or absence of finger contact, by calculating a weighted average of these detection signal intensity, Specify the position of.

  The retry reduction processing unit 113 performs processing for reducing the number of times the user retries when finger contact with the touch panel unit 150 is not correctly detected. In the present embodiment, the calculation process of the position calculation is recorded for each retry performed due to the detection error, and is recorded in the storage unit 160 in association with the information indicating the display status on the display unit 132 at that time. When a detection error occurs after the next time, the number of retries is reduced by estimating and specifying the finger contact position (touch position) from the recorded calculation process.

  The input processing unit 114 performs various operations according to the input content, such as transition of the display screen on the display unit 132 based on the input signal from the operation unit 142 and the touch position calculated by the touch position calculation unit 112. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described functional configuration is logically realized by the control unit 110. For example, these are configured by a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). These functions may be realized by a physical configuration. In particular, the functions related to the touch position calculation unit 112 may be performed by an IC circuit or the like that drives the touch sensor of the touch panel unit 150, and the memory element included in such an IC circuit is required for position calculation. Threshold values, conditions, calculation processes, and the like may be recorded.

  Each configuration of the mobile communication terminal 100 described above is a configuration necessary for realizing the present invention, and other configurations necessary for basic functions as the mobile communication terminal and configurations necessary for various additional functions. Etc. shall be provided as necessary.

  The operation of the mobile communication terminal 100 having the above configuration will be described below. Here, it is assumed that touch panel unit 150 is used for input in mobile communication terminal 100.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment, in order to reduce the number of retries due to a detection error that occurs during an input operation using the touch panel unit 150, the display screen on the display unit 132 when a detection error occurs and the calculation process are recorded in association with each other. Thus, when a detection error occurs thereafter, the touch position is identified by referring to the record of the calculation process from the display screen at that time.

  The “touch input process” executed to realize such an operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This “touch input processing” is started when the touch input becomes valid, for example, when a screen on which the input by the touch panel unit 150 can be performed is displayed on the display unit 132.

  When the process is started, the touch panel drive unit 111 controls the touch panel unit 150 to perform a scan operation of the touch sensor (step S101).

  Here, when a user's finger touches the screen of the display unit 132, that is, the touch sensor of the touch panel unit 150, the capacitance of the electrode applied to the contact position changes. Therefore, based on the detection signal from the touch sensor after the scanning operation, presence / absence of finger contact with the touch sensor can be detected.

  However, such a change in capacitance may occur due to factors other than finger contact. For example, the capacitance changes due to noise generated from the apparatus. Therefore, in a normal touch panel, a two-stage threshold is prepared, and depending on whether or not the detected change in capacitance is within a predetermined threshold range, it is due to finger contact or other factors Whether it is a change in capacitance or not is distinguished.

  Also in this embodiment, it is assumed that two types of threshold values are prepared by the same method. The first threshold value (hereinafter referred to as “threshold value THa”) is a threshold value corresponding to the minimum value of the capacitance change that can occur when the touch sensor is touched by a finger, and the detected intensity indicating the change in the capacitance. Does not reach the threshold value THa, it is considered that the finger is not touching, and the calculation of the contact position (position calculation) is not performed.

  In addition, a second threshold (hereinafter referred to as “threshold THb”) is prepared in order to determine the reliability of the change in capacitance due to finger contact. Here, it is assumed that noise generated by the screen display of the display unit 132 affects the capacitance of the touch sensor. When affected by noise, the value of the detection intensity decreases. Therefore, if there is a change in capacitance exceeding this threshold THb, it is considered that the finger is touching. That is, it is determined that the reliability of the finger contact is high.

  Under such conditions, the touch position calculation unit 112 detects that there is a possibility of finger contact when the detection intensity detected by the touch sensor scan by the touch panel drive unit 111 exceeds the threshold THa (touch detection). (Step S102: Yes).

  Here, with the electrode density of a general touch sensor, a change in capacitance is detected by a plurality of electrodes when contact is made with the touch panel (particularly contact with a finger). The touch position calculation unit 112 calculates a contact position by calculating a weighted average of detection values at a plurality of electrodes, as in a general touch panel.

  In this case, for example, when the values at the plurality of electrodes whose capacitance has changed include those that do not exceed the threshold value THb, the reliability is low even when the contact position is calculated by the weighted average. Usually, a calculation result with low reliability is not adopted, so that the contact position cannot be specified, and the screen transition according to the touch operation is not performed. For this reason, the user is forced to retry to touch the same place many times.

  Here, the noise of the screen display that affects the capacitance of the touch sensor differs depending on what kind of screen is displayed. For example, full-color display is performed on the display unit 132, and the color tone, contrast, etc. When various screen displays are performed, the change in the capacitance of the touch sensor often varies depending on the display screen, the reliability of calculation results also varies, and the touch detection accuracy varies depending on the display screen.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of retries when the reliability of the calculation result is low by combining the calculation result when the error occurs due to the low reliability of the calculation result and the display screen characteristics at that time. Like that.

  For this reason, when touch detection based on the threshold value THa is performed (step S102: Yes), the touch position calculation unit 112 notifies the retry reduction processing unit 113 to that effect. In this case, the retry reduction processing unit 113 acquires display attribute information indicating the attributes of the display screen at that time (step S103). In this embodiment, as display screen attributes, information indicating a screen pattern (design) prepared in a general mobile phone or an OS of a personal computer is used as display attribute information. That is, it is a plurality of patterns that define the color tone of the entire screen, as exemplified in FIG. 7, and can be manually selected by the user, or the pattern can be automatically changed every time it is displayed even on the same screen. The screen display is adapted to various tastes.

  In this case, the retry reduction processing unit 113 acquires, as display attribute information, information indicating a pattern applied to the screen display performed by the control unit 110 at that time, and stores the information in, for example, a work area of the memory. .

  At this time, the touch position calculation unit 112 calculates the touch position based on the detection result in step S102 (step S104). Here, as shown in FIG. 8 (a) or FIG. 8 (b), when a finger touch is made on the display screen of the display unit 132, the display screen of the display unit 132 is displayed as shown in FIG. 8 (c). Detection signals indicating changes in capacitance are generated at a plurality of positions of the touch sensor of the touch panel unit 150 configured in a matrix. Here, in the case of a finger contact touching the “7” key on the numeric keypad screen as shown in FIG. 8A or FIG. 8B, the capacitance is determined by the plurality of electrodes Ea to Ee near the actual touch position. It is assumed that a detection signal indicating a change in the number is generated.

  The touch position calculation unit 112 according to the present embodiment calculates coordinates indicating the finger contact position by performing weighted averaging of such a plurality of detection signals. That is, from the touch panel unit 150, coordinates indicating each electrode position of the touch sensor and a signal indicating the detection intensity at the position are input to the touch position calculation unit 112. The touch position calculation unit 112 calculates the coordinates (X, Y) indicating the finger contact position by holding the input signal (coordinates and detection intensity) in the work area of the memory and performing a weighted average calculation.

  As described above, the detection intensity used for such calculation varies depending on the characteristics of the display screen. In the example of FIG. 8, the same numeric keypad screen is shown in both FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, but FIG. 8A is a display attribute of pattern A (see FIG. 7). 8 (b) is a display attribute of the pattern B (see FIG. 7). If there is a finger contact at the same position under such conditions, and in any case, a change in capacitance is detected by the electrodes Ea to Ee (see FIG. 8C), the detection result is, for example, FIG. As shown in FIG. 8D and FIG.

  Here, FIG. 8D shows an example of the relationship between the detection intensity at each electrode and each threshold when the vicinity of the “7” key is touched on the numeric keypad screen in the pattern A shown in FIG. FIG. 8E shows an example of the relationship between the detection intensity at each electrode and each threshold when the vicinity of the “7” key is touched on the numeric keypad screen with the pattern B shown in FIG. 8B. However, the number of positions where the detected intensity exceeds the threshold value THb is larger in the pattern A. That is, this example shows that the detection accuracy in pattern A is higher than that in pattern B (the reliability of the calculation result is high (calculation result = actual touch position)).

  Thus, the reliability of the calculation result can be determined by comparing the detection intensity used for the calculation of the weighted average with the threshold value THb. Therefore, the touch position calculation unit 112 compares the detection intensity exceeding the threshold value THa with the threshold value THb, so that the reliability of the calculation result in step S104 is, for example, “high” or “low”. Are distinguished (step S105). Here, the condition for distinguishing the reliability based on the comparison with the threshold value THb is arbitrary. For example, “high only when all target detection signals exceed the threshold value THb”. Various conditions such as “high if the number of target detection signals exceeding the threshold THb is equal to or greater than a certain ratio” can be considered. As such a distinction condition, for example, an optimum one is adopted based on the accuracy of the touch sensor, the calculation performance of the control unit 110, and the like.

  When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result in step S104 is “low” by such reliability distinction (step S105: No), the touch position calculation unit 112 notifies the retry reduction processing unit 113 to that effect. Notice. In this case, the retry reduction processing unit 113 accesses the storage unit 160, and the display attribute information acquired in step S103 is stored in “calculation process record” (detailed later) stored (stored) in the storage unit 160. It is determined whether or not there is a record of the same display attribute as the displayed display attribute (step S106).

  Here, it is assumed that the mobile communication terminal 100 is used for the first time, and the “calculation process record” is not stored in the storage unit 160. In this case (step S106: No), the retry reduction processing unit 113 executes “calculation process recording process” for creating “calculation process recording” (step S200). This “calculation process recording process” will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the process is started, the retry reduction processing unit 113 determines whether or not the “recording flag” indicating that the calculation process is being recorded is off (step S201). This “recording flag” is, for example, a binary flag of “0” and “1”, and “0” (off) indicates that the recording process of the calculation process recording is not being performed, and “1”. In the case of (ON), it indicates that the calculation process recording process is in progress.

  When the “recording flag” is off at the start of this processing (step S201: Yes), the retry reduction processing unit 113 turns on the “recording flag” (step S202) and records that constitute the calculation process recording Then, a record is created in the storage unit 160 with the display attribute indicated by the display attribute information acquired in step S103 as a key (step S203).

  An example of this state is shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the reliability of the calculation result is determined to be low in touch detection when the screen design is pattern B. In this case, a record having a display attribute indicating “pattern B” as a key as shown in FIG.

  When such a record is created, the retry reduction processing unit 113 initializes a touch number counter P indicating the number of touches in the current process. Here, since the process is related to touch detection in step S102, “1” indicating the first touch is set (step S204).

  When the touch counter P is initialized, the retry reduction processing unit 113 records the calculation process for the current touch detection in the record created in step S203 (step S205). Here, as shown in FIG. 9A, the calculation process is performed for each item of “number of touches”, “detection contents”, “reliability”, “calculation result”, and “determined position” constituting the record. Is recorded.

  In the item “number of touches”, a numerical value indicated by the current touch number counter P is recorded. Here, since it is initialized in step S204, “1” indicating the first touch is recorded.

  In the item “detection content”, the content indicated by the input signal from the touch panel unit 150 for touch detection in step S102 is recorded. That is, the coordinates (x, y) indicating the position and the detection intensity (S) are recorded for a plurality of electrodes related to touch detection.

  In the item “reliability”, the determination result in step S105 is recorded. Here, since the process is performed because the reliability is “low”, “low” is recorded.

  In the item “calculation result”, coordinates (X, Y) indicating the finger contact position obtained by the calculation (weighted average) performed in step S104 are recorded.

  In the item “determined position”, the coordinates of the finger contact position indicated by the calculation result having the reliability of “high” are recorded. Here, since the reliability is “low”, the item “determined position” is not recorded.

  In this way, the calculation process for the first touch is recorded. When the number of touches is the first (P = 1) (step S206: No), this process ends and the flow returns to the “touch input process” (FIG. 3). Here, the retry position reduction processing unit 113 notifies the touch position calculation unit 112 that the “calculation process recording process” has been completed while the “recording flag” is on.

  In the “touch input process”, a predetermined end event related to the touch input operation (for example, transition to a screen that does not support touch input, power-off of the mobile communication terminal 100, etc.) has not occurred ( Step S109: No), the operation | movement after step S101 is performed.

  Here, regarding the previous touch, only the calculation process is recorded, and the operation according to the touch input is not performed. That is, since the reliability of the calculation result is low, the input operation corresponding to the touch is not performed, so that the user of the mobile communication terminal 100 goes to the same position (same range) again on the display screen of the display unit 132. Try to touch (retry).

  In this case, touch detection is performed in step S102, and the touch position calculation unit 112 calculates the touch position (step S104). Here, it is assumed that the reliability is “low” even in the position calculation for the second touch.

  In this case (step S105: No), the touch position calculation unit 112 notifies the retry reduction processing unit 113 that the reliability of the calculation result is “low”. Here, since the operation according to the previous touch is not performed, the screen transition or the like does not occur, and since it is the second touch by the retry, the screen pattern does not change from the previous touch. Therefore, the calculation process for the same screen pattern as the screen pattern indicated by the display attribute information acquired in step S103 is recorded in the “calculation process recording process” executed last time (step S106: Yes). In this case, the retry reduction processing unit 113 determines whether or not the “recording flag” is off (step S107).

  Here, since the “recording flag” is turned on in step S202 of the previous “calculation process recording process” (step S107: No), the retry reduction processing unit 113 again performs the “calculation process recording process” (FIG. 4). ) Is executed (step S200).

  In this case, since the “recording flag” is on (step S201: No), the retry reduction processing unit 113 increments the touch count counter P by 1 (step S207). Since this is the second touch, the value of the touch count counter P is “2”.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, the retry reduction processing unit 113 records the calculation process in the record relating to the current touch (Pth time = 2nd time) (step S205). Since the reliability is “low” again, no record is made at the “determined position”.

  When the number-of-touches counter P is 2 or more (P> 1) (step S206: Yes), the calculation process for the current touch (Pth) and the record for the last touch (P-1) touch are recorded. The recorded calculation process is compared (step S208), and it is determined whether or not the current touch is a touch by a retry to the same range. That is, in the calculation process record related to the previous touch, for example, by comparing the electrode position recorded in the “detection content” with the electrode position related to the current touch detection, it can be considered that the same place is touched. It is determined whether or not it is within the range (step S209).

  The discrimination criterion at this time is determined by, for example, the resolution of the touch panel unit 150, the display content at that time, and the like. For example, when the numeric keypad screen as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B is displayed, the threshold is set based on the interval between the keys constituting the numeric keypad. If there is a position difference corresponding to the minute, it is determined that it is out of the range that can be regarded as the same.

  When it can be considered that the current (Pth) time and the previous (P-1th) touch are within the same range (step S209: No), the retry reduction processing unit 113 ends this processing, and “touch input processing” Return to the flow. That is, the process returns to the flow of “touch input process” (FIG. 3) in a state where the calculation process recording as shown in FIG. 9B is performed.

  Here, assuming that the touch for the third retry is performed, the “calculation process recording process” (FIG. 4) is executed again through steps S101 to S107 (step S200).

  Here, since it is the third touch, the processing of step S201 → step S207 → step S205 to step S208 is performed in the same manner as in the case of the second touch. Here, for the third touch, for example, a touch is made at a position significantly different from the first and second touch positions due to, for example, a mistouch (for example, in the example of FIG. ) Is assumed.

  In this case, the calculation process related to the third (Pth) touch as shown in FIG. 9C is recorded in step S205. The electrode position recorded in the “detection contents” and the immediately preceding second time are recorded. When the difference from the electrode position recorded in the (P-1) th record is outside the range that can be regarded as the same (step S209: Yes), the retry reduction processing unit 113 performs the current (Pth) calculation process. Exception processing is performed for recording (step S210).

  There are several examples of exception handling, and it can be arbitrarily adopted. As an example, the case where the process according to the difference of an electrode position is performed is shown. Here, the case of the numeric keypad screen as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B will be described as an example. In such a numeric keypad screen, for example, the vicinity of the “7” key is touched for the first and second times, but if the vicinity of another numeric key is touched for the third time, the touch on the “7” key is applied. Since it is considered that the touch is changed to another key instead of the retry, the retry reduction processing unit 113 touches the vicinity of another key when the difference in electrode position is within the numeric keypad array. As described above, the current (Pth) record recorded in step S205 is deleted and recorded as a new record separately. This record is updated by separately executing “calculation process recording process” or the like in parallel. That is, the storage unit 160 stores a plurality of calculation process records for each display attribute.

  In addition, the difference in the electrode position recorded in the “detection contents” is large, and for example, a touch is made at a location that is not the numeric keypad portion of the numeric keypad screen as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. If this is not the case, a touch error is determined and the current (Pth) record recorded in step S205 is deleted.

  In any case, since the current (Pth) record is deleted from the calculation process record shown in FIG. 9C, the retry reduction processing unit 113 decrements the touch count counter P by -1. Thus (step S211), the number of touches in the continuous calculation process recording is corrected, and the flow returns to the “touch input process” (FIG. 3).

  Here, it is assumed that the third touch is a miss touch, and the touch at the same position is retried again. For example, in the case where it is desired to input “7” on the numeric keypad screen as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the vicinity of the “7” key is touched once or twice, but 3 It is assumed that the second touch misses out of the range of the key layout and the fourth time touches again the vicinity of the “7” key. In this case, the actual number of touches on the display unit 132 is four, but the number of touches near the “7” key is “3”. It is assumed that the reliability of the calculation result for the current touch is “high”.

  In this case (step S105: Yes), the touch position calculation unit 112 executes “calculation process record update processing” for updating the calculation process record (step S300). The “calculation process update process” will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the process is started, the touch position calculation unit 112 first determines whether or not the “recording flag” is on (step S301). Here, since the “recording flag” is turned on in step S202 of the “calculation process recording process” (FIG. 4) executed first (step S301: Yes), the touch position calculation unit 112 uses the touch frequency counter. By incrementing P by +1, the current number of touches is obtained (step S302), and the calculation process for the Pth touch is recorded (step S303).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 9D, each of the detected content, the reliability, and the calculation result is recorded in a record in which the number of times of touching this time (Pth) is “3”. Since the reliability is “high” this time, “high” is recorded in the item “reliability”.

  When the reliability is “high”, the calculation result can be determined as coordinates indicating the actual touch position, and thus the touch position calculation unit 112 records the current calculation result as a determined position in the calculation process record. (Step S304). That is, as shown in FIG. 9D, the coordinates (X, Y) are recorded in the item “determined position”.

  When the “determined position” is recorded, the touch position calculation unit 112 turns off the “recording flag” that has been turned on (step S305), and returns to the flow of “touch input processing” (FIG. 3). Here, the touch position is notified from the touch position calculation unit 112 to the input processing unit 114.

  In the “touch input process” after the “computation process record update process”, the input when the finger touch is made to the touch position notified by the input processing unit 114, that is, the coordinates recorded as the confirmed position in step S304. Processing is performed (step S108). Here, processing such as screen transition is performed based on the display screen at that time and the touch position.

  The above is an operation example when the touch detection succeeds after a plurality of retries. For example, in the present embodiment, when the touch is performed on the screen of the pattern A having a relatively high detection accuracy. The reliability may be “high” by the first touch. The operation in the “calculation process record update process” at this time will be described with reference to FIG.

  If the reliability is “high” at the first touch, the “calculation process recording process” is not executed, so the “recording flag” is off. In this case (step S301: No), the touch position calculation unit 112 accesses the calculation process record in the storage unit 160, and calculates the same display attribute (screen pattern) as the display attribute indicated by the display attribute information acquired in step S103. It is determined whether or not there is a process record (step S306).

  When there is a calculation process record for the same display attribute (step S306: Yes), the touch position calculation unit 112 scans each record for the display attribute (step S307), and is the same as the calculation process for the current touch detection. It is determined whether there is a record that can be regarded as a range (step S308).

  Here, for example, when it is determined whether there is a record in which the electrode position recorded in the “detection content” is approximate, and based on this, the record is recorded as the same range (step S308: Yes). It overwrites with the information which shows the calculation process concerning this touch detection (step S309), and complete | finishes a process. That is, the calculation process for the same condition can reduce the memory consumption if the calculation process related to the latest touch detection remains as a record.

  On the other hand, when there is no calculation process record for the display attribute at the time of touch detection this time (step S306: No), or there is a calculation process record for the same display attribute, but it is not the content that can be regarded as the same range (step S308). : No), the touch position calculation unit 112 creates a new record as shown in FIG. 9E in the storage unit 160, records the calculation process for the current touch detection (step S310), and ends the process. To do.

  When a finger contact with the touch panel is detected by the process as described above, at least the calculation process for the calculation result of the touch position with high reliability is associated with the display attribute information indicating the screen pattern at that time. Even when the reliability is low, the calculation process until the position calculation is successful is recorded in association with the display attribute information. That is, while the screen display corresponding to the touch input is being performed, a calculation process record in which the position calculation process is associated with the display attribute information is accumulated.

  In the present embodiment, the number of retries when the reliability of position calculation is low is reduced by using the calculation process records accumulated in this way. In other words, the above-described processing has accumulated data necessary for reducing the number of retries when the noise on the display screen affects touch detection by finger contact.

  An operation for reducing the number of retries using such calculation process recording will be described with reference to the “touch input process” flowchart shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the calculation process record is accumulated, and the position calculation is performed based on the occurrence of the detection signal exceeding the threshold value THa by executing the “touch input process”. The operation after step S106 will be described assuming that the reliability is determined to be “low” from the relationship (step S101 to step S104, step S105: No).

  In this case, since the calculation process record has already been accumulated, it is assumed that the calculation process record for the screen pattern indicated by the display attribute information acquired in step S103 is stored in the storage unit 160. In this case (step S106: Yes), since the “calculation process recording process” is not performed, the “recording flag” is off (step S107: Yes).

  When the calculation process is not being recorded, the touch position calculation unit 112 instructs the retry reduction processing unit 113 to perform a retry count reduction operation. In response to an instruction from the touch position calculation unit 112, the retry reduction processing unit 113 executes “retry reduction processing” for reducing the number of retries using the accumulated calculation process record. This “retry reduction processing” will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the processing is started, the retry reduction processing unit 113 sequentially scans the records about the screen pattern indicated by the display attribute information acquired in step S103 among the calculation process records stored in the storage unit 160 (step S401). ), It is searched whether there is a record in which a calculation process approximate to the current calculation process in the position calculation in step S104 is recorded (step S402).

  Here, for example, the coordinates of the electrode position recorded in the item “detection content” are regarded as the same position as the current touch position by searching for a record that approximates the electrode position related to the current touch detection. Search past records that you can. The matter to be compared may be, for example, the coordinates recorded in the item “determined position” and the coordinates indicated by the calculation result obtained by the calculation in step S104 this time.

  When there is a record of the calculation process approximated to the current calculation process (step S402: Yes), the retry reduction processing unit 113 performs the finger contact this time on the coordinates recorded in the item “determined position” of the record. The input processing unit 114 is notified of this as the touched position (touch position) (step S403).

  In this case, the input processing unit 114 performs input processing according to finger contact with the notified coordinates (step S404), and ends the processing. In other words, if the reliability is determined to be “low”, there may be two or more retries, but the calculation process record at the same position has already been recorded for the display attribute at that time. If there is, the input process can be performed without retrying the touch on the touch panel by using the calculation result at that time.

  If there is no calculation process record that approximates the current calculation process (step S402: No), the above-described “calculation process recording process” (FIG. 4) is performed for the touch detection (step S200). In this case, the number of retries for the current touch detection cannot be reduced, but a new calculation process record that can be used for future touch detection is accumulated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to retry when noise caused by the display screen affects touch detection by recording the display screen attributes and the calculation process at the time of touch detection in association with each other. The number of times can be reduced.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the screen pattern is recorded in the display attribute information recorded as the key item of the calculation process recording is exemplified. However, the display attribute information is not limited to the screen pattern, and any display attribute is adopted. can do. For example, in addition to the “ten-key screen” illustrated in FIG. 8, screen types that can be classified based on the characteristics of the screen configuration, such as “mail creation screen” and “menu screen”, may be used as display attributes. Further, a calculation process record may be created using information obtained by combining these and the above-described screen pattern as a key item.

(Embodiment 2)
In the above embodiment, the number of retries is reduced by focusing on the fact that the noise level varies depending on the screen pattern. However, even in the same screen content, the display unit 132 (liquid crystal panel) is affected by the influence of the temperature environment or the like. The AC inversion driving frequency may change, and in that case, the noise level changes. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of retries based on the display frequency.

  In this case, in the “touch input process” shown in FIG. 3, instead of the operation of acquiring the display attribute information indicating the screen pattern in step S103, the display frequency at that time is measured, and the measured display frequency is used as a key. By creating the calculation process record as an item, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, display attribute information indicating the display frequency is used.

  In order to perform such an operation, the mobile communication terminal 100 according to the present embodiment is provided with a configuration capable of measuring the display frequency of the display unit 132. In this case, the display frequency can be measured by the operation of the control unit 110 based on the period of the frame synchronization signal transmitted from the driver circuit of the display unit 132 to the control unit 110 in the normal display operation.

  When the display frequency is used in this way, an error tendency can be recorded from a viewpoint different from the process using the screen pattern or the like, and the effective number of retries can be reduced. Further, by creating a calculation process record that combines the display attributes and display frequencies exemplified in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of retries more effectively.

(Embodiment 3)
In the above embodiment, the display attribute information indicating the screen pattern (screen design), the display frequency, and the like are recorded in association with each other. However, for example, when the display attribute is single (a plurality of types) When screen patterns are prepared, or when the same screen pattern is used in a fixed manner), it is possible to reduce the number of touch operation retries by recording only the calculation process without associating with display attributes. be able to.

  In this case, since acquisition of display attribute information and recording of display attribute information are not required, processing speed can be increased and memory consumption can be reduced.

  As described above, by applying the present invention as in the above embodiment, the number of retries due to a touch detection error on the touch panel can be reduced.

  That is, by accumulating calculation process records in which calculation processes at the time of touch detection are associated with display attributes, when the reliability of the calculation results is low, the touch position is specified using the same display attribute record. be able to. Thereby, an input operation can be performed without forcing the user to retry.

  Also, when recording the calculation process when a retry occurs, it is determined whether or not the touch is due to a retry to the same range (within a predetermined range) by comparing the calculation processes of each time, and the retry to the same range is performed. By not including the calculation process for non-touch in the calculation process recording, it is possible to prevent an input operation to an erroneous fixed position and to reduce the memory consumption for the calculation process recording. If the difference in the touch position is not within the predetermined range, the calculation process record is created separately as a touch to another position (range), so that the calculation process record can be accumulated efficiently and more effectively. In particular, the number of retries can be reduced.

  The said embodiment is an example and the application range of this invention is not restricted to this. That is, various applications are possible, and all embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the calculation process of each time when a retry occurs is recorded as a record, but only the calculation process when the reliability is determined to be “high” may be recorded as a record. Further, the items constituting the calculation process recording exemplified in the above embodiment are merely examples, and the contents and number of items to be recorded are arbitrary as long as they can be used for touch position estimation. For example, the recording of the item “detection content” (see FIG. 9) may be omitted. In this case, for example, an approximate record may be searched based on the coordinate information recorded in the item “calculation result”. That is, by appropriately setting so that the minimum necessary information is recorded, it is possible to reduce the memory consumption for speeding up and recording the operation process.

  In the above embodiment, the calculation means does not perform the calculation of the contact position when the detection intensity of the detection signal of the touch panel does not reach the predetermined threshold value, so that power saving and speeding up can be achieved. In addition, it is possible to reduce the memory consumption for the calculation process recording.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a mobile communication terminal is exemplified as an electronic device to which the present invention is applied. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to any electronic device as long as it has an input function using a touch panel. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, the capacitive touch panel is shown as an example of the touch panel. However, the touch panel of other types may be used as long as noise on the screen display affects the detection accuracy. The invention can be applied to reduce the number of retries at the time of error.

  In the above embodiment, the screen design (screen pattern) and the display frequency are exemplified as examples of display conditions that cause detection errors on the touch panel. However, the display elements that affect the detection accuracy of the touch panel are exemplified. It may be set arbitrarily.

  Further, by applying the program to a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel as well as an electronic device that has the configuration according to the present invention in advance, the program can be caused to function as the input device according to the present invention. That is, a program similar to the program executed by the control unit 110 exemplified in the above embodiment is applied to an existing input device or an electronic apparatus including the input device, and the computer of the device executes the program, so that the control is performed. The same function as that of the unit 110 is realized, and it can function as an input device according to the present invention.

  The application method of such a program is arbitrary. For example, the program can be applied by being stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a memory card, or can be applied via a communication medium such as the Internet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Mobile communication terminal, 110 ... Control part, 111 ... Touch-panel drive part, 112 ... Touch position calculating part, 113 ... Retry reduction process part, 114 ... Input processing part, 120 ... Communication control part, 121 ... Antenna, 130 ... Output unit 131 ... Audio output unit 132 ... Display unit 140 ... Input unit 141 ... Voice input unit 142 ... Operation unit 150 ... Touch panel unit 160 ... Storage unit

Claims (13)

In an input device using a touch panel,
A calculation means for calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
Reliability determination means for determining the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means;
Recording means for recording a calculation process record in which at least the calculation process by the calculation means is associated with the reliability determined by the reliability determination means;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means is low, an input means for performing an input operation using the calculation process record determined to be high among the calculation process records recorded by the recording means; ,
E Bei and a display attribute information obtaining means for obtaining a display attribute information indicating the display attribute of the display device the touch panel is configured,
The recording means records the calculation process record in association with the display attribute information acquired by the display attribute information acquisition means;
Input device you wherein a. In an input device using a touch panel,
A calculation means for calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
Reliability determination means for determining the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means;
Recording means for recording a calculation process record in which at least the calculation process by the calculation means is associated with the reliability determined by the reliability determination means;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means is low, an input means for performing an input operation using the calculation process record determined to be high among the calculation process records recorded by the recording means; ,
Display attribute information acquisition means for acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel,
The display attribute information indicates a screen design displayed on the display device,
The input means performs an input operation using the calculation process record for the same display attribute as the display attribute indicated by the display attribute information acquired by the display attribute information acquisition means.
Input device you wherein a. In an input device using a touch panel,
A calculation means for calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
Reliability determination means for determining the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means;
Recording means for recording a calculation process record in which at least the calculation process by the calculation means is associated with the reliability determined by the reliability determination means;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result by the calculation means is low, an input means for performing an input operation using the calculation process record determined to be high among the calculation process records recorded by the recording means; ,
Display attribute information acquisition means for acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel;
E Bei and a display frequency measuring means for measuring a display frequency in the display device,
The display attribute information acquisition unit acquires display attribute information indicating a display frequency measured by the display frequency measurement unit.
Input device you wherein a. The input means performs an operation of inputting, as a current touch position, a calculation result determined to have high reliability among the calculation results recorded in the calculation process record having contents approximate to the calculation process related to the current touch detection. Do
Input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that. The recording means includes
When recording the calculation process for a plurality of successive touches on the touch panel, a retry is performed to determine whether or not the retry is due to a touch at the same position by comparing the contents of the calculation processes of each time. It further comprises a discrimination means,
The calculation process related to the touch determined to be not a retry is not included in the calculation process record related to another touch determined to be a retry,
Input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that. The recording means is determined not to be a retry when a difference between a calculation process related to a touch determined not to be a retry and a calculation process related to another touch determined to be a retry is within a predetermined range. Record the calculation process for the touch as a calculation process record different from the calculation process record,
The input device according to claim 5 . The recording means records only the calculation process related to the calculation determined to be highly reliable by the reliability determination means as the calculation process record.
Input device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that. The recording means records only the calculation result of the calculation means as the calculation process record,
Input device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that. The calculation means does not calculate the contact position when the detection intensity of the detection signal of the touch panel does not reach a predetermined threshold.
Input device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that. Electronic apparatus including the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. In a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel,
A function of calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
A function to determine the reliability of the calculation result;
At least a function of recording a calculation process record in which the calculation process of the calculation is associated with the determined reliability;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result is low, among the recorded calculation process records, a function of performing an input operation using a calculation process record determined to have high reliability;
Realizing a display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device in which the touch panel is configured;
The function of recording the calculation process record records the calculation process record associated with the acquired display attribute information.
Program which is characterized a call. In a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel,
A function of calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
A function to determine the reliability of the calculation result;
At least a function of recording a calculation process record in which the calculation process of the calculation is associated with the determined reliability;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result is low, among the recorded calculation process records, a function of performing an input operation using a calculation process record determined to have high reliability;
Realizing a display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device in which the touch panel is configured;
The display attribute information indicates a screen design displayed on the display device,
The function for performing the input operation is to perform the input operation using the calculation process record for the same display attribute as the display attribute indicated by the acquired display attribute information.
A program characterized by that. In a computer that controls an input device using a touch panel,
A function of calculating a touch position based on a detection signal from each position of the touch panel;
A function to determine the reliability of the calculation result;
At least a function of recording a calculation process record in which the calculation process of the calculation is associated with the determined reliability;
When it is determined that the reliability of the calculation result is low, among the recorded calculation process records, a function of performing an input operation using a calculation process record determined to have high reliability;
A function of acquiring display attribute information indicating a display attribute on a display device configured with the touch panel;
A function of measuring a display frequency in the display device,
The function of acquiring the display attribute information acquires display attribute information indicating the measured display frequency.
A program characterized by that.

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